The media and its impact on Self-Concept. The media plays a big part in the viewpoints of individual's self-concept. The media plays an especially major role in Americans self-concept. As an individual, the media has played a major role in my personal views about life. .
Weight has increasingly become the focus of body dissatisfaction over the last two decades. Often the concern is unfounded: In one survey, 47 percent of the women who were actually normal weight felt they were overweight. However, many of those who have unhealthy levels of body fat have become frustrated with the pressure to achieve the "ideal." After seemingly endless cycles of dieting, guilt and frustration they give up. How did we become so out of touch with our bodies? .
Our perceptions of our bodies are learned. Childhood experiences, maturational changes and our culture all contribute to our overvalued beliefs about physical appearance and body weight. The ever-increasing influence of movies, TV and magazines have altered our view of our bodies. Daily images of models, actors and professional athletes with exceptional beauty and fantastic physiques suggest that such bodies are real and attainable by everyone. Such images and the misinformation foisted on us by the media are misleading, and dismiss the strong effects of genetics and physiology on individual responses to diet and exercise. .
"The physical, social, emotional, mental and spiritual health of individuals is connected to their sense of themselves - their identity. Self-concept and self-esteem are important parts of a positive identity and in contemporary culture are closely related to body image - that is personal perceptions of one's body. This body image often results from comparing oneself with the dominant, ideal, stereotypical images presented in our culture." .
We make assumptions and value judgments about others that are based upon their body size and shape, the way they speak or walk, their name, their clothes, jewellery or glasses or their sub-culture.